Tag Archive | book review

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas

Jan21

The Rescuer

These Blue Mountains by Sarah Loudin Thomas is a powerful Christian historical novel that consumed me from the start. It has its’ roots in facts and there are actual historical figures in the book.

The novel is set between the wars in the early 1930’s as Hitler is rising to power. Much of the novel is set in America but some is set in Berlin.

During World War I, a young German man in the navy found himself interred in an enemy alien camp in America. He wrote to his fiancée in Germany until the letters just stopped in 1917. His mother and fiancée are still waiting for news of him in 1932. A newspaper cutting means a young woman travels to America to find out what happened to her young man. This reminds the reader that when we are lost, God seeks us out. He will leave the ninety-nine in order to search for the one who is lost.

We learn that there were dodgy goings on in the internment camp. Only now, in 1932 are activities coming to light. A cold case springs to life as the truth is sought.

A life that stagnated in Berlin, buds and blossoms in America. “Her life had gone from the grays… of Germany to this multicoloured happiness… on a fledgling college campus.” America is the land of opportunity. This is in contrast to Germany where lives are being eroded and closed down.

Continue reading →

The Colletta Cassettes by Bruno Noble

Jan21

Intrigue, Truth & Lies

The Colletta Cassettes by Bruno Noble is a powerful tale set in Italy in 1978. It is a story of intrigue, truth and lies that consumed me from the start.

An American veteran of World War II has finally decided to tell the truth about the USA and their politics with Italy since World War II. It is dangerous for all, including the journalist and his family. There are powerful people on both sides of the Atlantic who want the truth to remain buried.

After World War II “the driving motivation behind the politics of the US… would be ‘fear of communism.’” This fear of the red in the bed would dictate policies and politics for many decades. Alliances would be made, and terrible actions done, all to stop the spread of communism. “You’re telling me that the US used the CIA, NATO, the Nazis, the Vatican and the Mafia in the fight against communism.” The means were believed to justify the end.

The whistleblower needs to get his story out there. “He had to have answers… of why… he was lifting the lid on a box of secrets, why he was bringing to light a forty-year career that had been pursued in the shadows.” The price for the truth is high.

The reader follows the journalist and his family to Italy. We are treated to the sights and sounds of the country. The action is set during the football world cup, and the games are watched in the pub courtyard, uniting fans of many nations.

Continue reading →

What Tomorrow Will Be by Julianne MacLean

Jan20

A Work Of Great Beauty

What Tomorrow Will Be by Julieanne MacLean is the most beautiful contemporary novel that will lodge deep in your heart and soul. Every once in a while, a book comes along that profoundly impacts me – and this is that book. I know it will stay with me forever.

The action is in three main time periods – 1998, 2006 and 2025. These are pivotal moments in the lives of characters. They are the defining years. A life is bookmarked by two freak accidents – both have huge emotional impact for all those involved. We often wonder – why do bad things happen to good people? Sometimes there are just no answers but I was reminded of the Bible passage in Genesis 49 where God uses bad circumstances and flips it round to good.

You never forget your first love – especially if it has been ripped away. A character has had the big love of her life, and of her present love she says: “It doesn’t feel earth shattering. It’s a quieter kind of love.” It is a love on which lives and a family have been built – but are the foundations strong enough to weather the storms?

Personal dreams are good to have, to give you something to strive for, but not at the expense of today. “I spend too much time mapping out my future. As a result, I forget to enjoy the present.” Do not miss the present because the future is not guaranteed.

Continue reading →

A Mother’s Second Chance by Sarah Lefebve

Jan19

Heart-Wrenching & Beautiful

A Mother’s Second Chance by Sarah Lefebve is the most beautiful and heart-wrenching contemporary novel about love and loss; grief and guilt; faith and families. It is a novel that I savoured and was emotionally invested in. It was a book that I never wanted to end.

This is a book about loss and how it affects all those involved. A best friend, Lou, and her husband are tragically killed, leaving their two children to be looked after by Zoe, Lou’s best friend. Friends for over thirty years since meeting at secondary school, the grief is very raw, “I am angry at my friend… that she died.” Grief throws up many emotions. It is a question of wading through the grief journey. “One day you’ll wake up and though the pain will still be there, it will be a little duller. A little easier to bear.”

Loss never goes away. “It’s okay to cry… You don’t get a quota of tears.” Tears can come when we do, and when we don’t, expect them.

Guilt is the bedfellow of grief. “It’s okay to laugh… It doesn’t mean you don’t miss them.” We are allowed to smile and laugh again. “The start of spring. A beautiful but painful reminder that life does not stop. Even when your best friend dies.” We feel that life should stop turning when loved ones die, but the wheels just keep spinning.

The children left behind are five-year-old Phoebe and her baby brother Zack who is not one yet. Phoebe’s grief is hard to deal with as her pain cannot be taken away. “She [Phoebe] asks if it is possible to un-die once you have died.”

Love never dies. “They [Phoebe & Zack] will forever be the love that links me to the best friend I ever had.” Loving her children is the last act of love that Zoe can do for Lou. “We will make sure Phoebe and Zack remember Louise and Rich. They don’t need a house to do that. And we will help them make new memories.”

Continue reading →